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What in the wide world of sports just happened?
Champions League drama at its finest (and zaniest), that’s what.
Borussia Dortmund advanced to the UCL semifinals with a 4-2 victory over Atlético Madrid (5-4 aggregate), while PSG got past 10-man Barcelona 4-1 (6-4 aggregate).
Below, we’ll break down the winners and losers from two of the most bizarre and compelling matches of the season.
Winner: Dortmund’s Finishing
What a performance from Dortmund.
Needing to win to advance, the German side jumped out to a 2-0 lead behind goals from Julian from Julian Brandt and Ian Maatsen.
But in typical Dortmund fashion the lead dissolved, as the back line couldn’t preserve the advantage.
The side wasn’t to be denied on this day, however, as Niclas Füllkrug and Marcel Sabitzer provided the crushing blows to Atlético.
Dortmund’s resolve and ability to come up big in the clutch has come into question in the past. Look no further than the final Matchweek of the 2022-23 campaign. But on Tuesday, at least, Dortmund was made of the right stuff.
It all went wrong for Barcelona, but it didn’t start that way.
When Raphinha scored the game’s first goal to give Barcelona a two-goal advantage in aggregate, it sure looked like the Catalans were off to the semifinals.
Ronald Araújo was sent off on a straight red for denying what was deemed a clear goal-scoring opportunity:
Xavi and goalkeeping coach De La Fuente were also sent off on reds:
João Cancelo fouled Ousmane Dembélé in the box, setting up Kylian Mbappé for a penalty that would give PSG the advantage in aggregate:
And by the time the dust settled, a 10-man Barca conceded four goals and continued what has been an absolute nightmare of a season.
Just another miserable night in Barcelona.
Winner: PSG’s Opportunism
Yes, PSG were handed the man advantage in the first half. But they also were trailing by two goals in aggregate at the time and needed a heroic performance to get back into the proceedings.
They offered just that, and then some:
Football on TNT Sports @footballontnt
“You have to hope for the day that will change everything… and today was that day” 🙏<br><br>PSG manager Luis Enrique speaks after knocking his former club Barcelona out of Europe in dramatic fashion<br><br>🎙️ <a href=”https://twitter.com/Sports_EmmaD?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Sports_EmmaD</a> | <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/UCL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#UCL</a><br><br>📺 <a href=”https://twitter.com/tntsports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@tntsports</a> & <a href=”https://twitter.com/discoveryplusUK?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@discoveryplusUK</a> <a href=”https://t.co/EnYWPIZoZq”>pic.twitter.com/EnYWPIZoZq</a>
Barcelona will rue the lack of composure, but PSG truly made them pay for every last error. An impressive display of maximizing the opportunities handed to you by the Parisiens.
Loser: Atlético’s Normally Stout Defense
Coming into Tuesday, Atlético Madrid had given up four or more goals just twice this season. Diego Simeone’s charges were not in the business of having full defensive meltdowns.
That made the collapse against Dortmund all the more surprising.
Squawka @Squawka
Atlético Madrid conceded 4+ goals in a Champions League knockout stage game for just the second time: <br> <br>◉ 1-4 vs. Real Madrid (2014 Final)<br>◉ 2-4 vs. Dortmund (2024 QF) <br><br>They’ve conceded more goals in 2023/24 (13) than in any other <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/UCL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#UCL</a> campaign. 👀 <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/BVBATL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#BVBATL</a> | <a href=”https://twitter.com/bet365?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@bet365</a> | <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ad?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Ad</a> <a href=”https://t.co/MRQHiRUiOy”>https://t.co/MRQHiRUiOy</a>
OptaJose @OptaJose
3 – Atlético de Madrid have been eliminated in the quarter-finals of the <a href=”https://twitter.com/ChampionsLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@ChampionsLeague</a> in their last three appearances in this round (2020, 2022 and 2024), having reached the semi-finals in three of their previous four (2014, 2016 and 2017).<br><br>Barrier. <a href=”https://t.co/aFrgkEhy8U”>pic.twitter.com/aFrgkEhy8U</a>
In a strange evening of football, perhaps it was only fitting that Atlético lost its identity.